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Amen! Amen! This is a really good post Carey. And an aching reminder of how many people put their children through the pursuit of worldly perfection. None of us, adult or child, need to do this.

I have a story to relate that I think may be of interest to some of your readers. Both my husband and I farm, we train horses and dogs. We also work in fields of research and development. Neither of us are encouraged or paid to seek perfection. R&D needs mistakes, it needs wrong directions and course corrections or we don’t learn anything. We don’t learn the how or the why, the where and where not.

It is hard for many people to make mistakes, our society and culture condemns them. But if we are to grow we need to find our way through making mistakes. Through asking question after question and seeking answers. Job is a great example of this. His friends sought a place to blame, he sought an answer. God gave both him and his friends answers they did not expect. But they are answers that speak to my heart.

I pray, today, for those who struggle with perfection. I do sometimes (lots it seems in some areas) and it hurts not only us but those around us. I have gotten good at making sure my flaws and mistakes are not very visible but when God has work for me to do those are the very things He brings out, to show His glory and grace.

Yes, and for those kids who are naturally bent towards perfectionism, parents can help them see that “it’s okay”, even though they will probably battle that battle their whole life in one way or another! At least having a solid foundation externally can ease the path and make sure there are soft places to land.

Amen! My dh is a perfectionist and when he asks me why I still like him in his inperfection I tell him, “there are no perfect men out there. The only one who was isn’t available for me to marry (in the human sense), so I still pick you!”

What an impossibly heavy burden to bear.

“They need to know that while the world will never be happy with…
who they are,
what they look like,
the amount of money they make,
the career they choose,
the friends they keep… God will. God is.”

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Meet Carey

Hi! I'm Carey -- a speaker, author and life coach honest about my life and faith, stumbles, fumbles and all. My ministry focuses on helping women untangle their self-worth from the "I'm-not good enough" messages and reminding them of their immeasurable value. Because when a woman knows her value, she is freed up to live with purpose and joy.